The words Cider Apple Vinegar and Keto Diet seem to be appearing together more and more often. So does taking cider apple vinegar help to boost the amazing effects of the keto diet?
What is Cider Apple Vinegar?
Cider Apple Vinegar is made by fermenting apple juice by adding yeast. This changes the apple juice into cider.
By the addition of yeast, acetic acid is produced as a result of the oxication of the ethanol in the cider.
It is this acid and some other trace acids which are held to be responsible for the health benefits of Cider Apple Vinegar (CAV)
Due to the fact that CAV is vertually carbohydrate free, it is a keto diet friendly product.
What are the health claims for Cider Apple Vinegar?
There are several health claims made and they appear to be supported by science.
Control of blood/glucose levels
Maintaining the correct levels of blood/glucose is very important for health.
Many people are using the keto diet as a way of managing or reversing type 2 diabetes.
So this is a very important consideration for this group of people.
High levels of blood/glucose plays a decisive role in the development of chronic metabolic disorders.
Also, this study found that:
vinegar can be effective in reducing postprandial glucose and insulin levels, indicating it could be considered as an adjunctive tool for improving glycemic control.
Further, this study showed that vinegar seemed to increase the uptake of glucose in the muscles as well as slowing down the production of glucose inbetween meals.
Appetite control
Apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce appetite when taken with starchy foods.
This is because the ACV slows down digestion which keeps you feeling full for longer.
In support of this, this study demonstrated that CAV before a starchy meal will help to keep blood/glucose levels stable.
It is proven that spikes in blood/glucose levels will often cause rebound hunger. The fact that ACV helps to prevent this will help to reduce appetite and the chances of you reaching for a snack.
A word of caution
Diabetics should take care when taking CAV because it could lower blood sugar levels, ( 1.)
Further, some medications such as like insulin, Digoxin and diuretic drugs may interact negatively with CAV.
CAV can also further reduce an existing low potassium level.
If you have a health condition we suggest you seek the advice of your health provider before using CAV.
Weight loss
This study looked at the effect of taking CAV and weight loss.
They found that:
The ACV significantly reduced body weight, BMI, Hip circumference, visceral adiposity index (VAI) and appetite score (P ≤ 0.00).
Thus, ACV along with RCD can be considered as an effective strategy for reducing anthropometric parameters, TG and TC level, VAI, appetite and increasing HDL-C concentration in overweight or obese individuals.
However, it has to be said that this was a small study and more research does need to be be done .
Further, this study looked at 39 subjects who were given a low calorie diet and cider apple vinegar. They compared this diet with a low calorie diet alone for 12 weeks.
They found that the people who were given the CAVResearchers found that the participants who took apple cider vinegar lost more weight and had a lower BMI.
Plus they also improved their cholesterol and triglyceride levles.
Their conclusion was that Cider Apple Vinegar may help with weight loss when used with other weight loss interventions.
Cardiovascular health
Being overweight can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Therefore, losing weight with the aid of apple cider vinegar can lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
There is some research to show that apple cider vinegar may help to lower blood cholesterol levels and so be good for the heart .
However, most of this research comes from studies in mice, so we need to be careful about extrapolating to humans.
Antibiotic benefits
There is a lot of evidence that fermented foods are good for our health.
This is due to the ability of these foods to act on unhealthy gut bacteria, and help to balance the levels of healthy bacteria.
Furthermore, this study was presented by Dr Darshna Yagnik on August 21, 2017. (3rd Annual Congress on Infectious Diseases San Francisco, California).
He found that CAV had antibiotic properties. He stated:
Apple cider vinegar displays potent antibiotic activity directly against Escherichia Coli and Candida albicans and within in vitro monocytes exposed to microbes by inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion
CAV displayed potent anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity against E. coli and Candida albicans. It could be potentially therapeutic in cases of antibiotic resistance and sepsis.
Cider Apple Vinegar and the keto Diet
For those on a keto diet there is evidence that adding Cider Apple Vinegar to your diet could be of benefit.
It can help to stabalize blood sugar and reduce appetite.
It will also help to prevent you from reaching for snacks inbetween meal times.
It has a mild taste and you can use it with salads or as a marinade.
There is evidence that CAV has a positive impact on health and can help to prevent chronic diseases and infections.
While its certainly true that more studies are needed , adding CAV to your keto diet could help to boost your results.
You should keep your intake moderate, and follow the guidance on the product you choose.
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